Thermoelectric units have been used previously for refrigeration and for freezing water to make ice. Prior thermoelectric ice makers are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,192,726 to Newton and U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,053 to Elfing, et al., the entire contents of these patents being incorporated herein by reference. However, there has been a need for a thermal electric ice maker of more compact and durable construction for use in motel and hotel rooms and in vehicles of all types. An ice maker for these applications also needs to be of a tamper resistant construction to discourage contamination of stored ice.
Many ice making systems presently in use employ a conventional refrigeration system to cause freezing of water within compartments of an ice cube tray or mold. Unfortunately, conventional refrigeration systems employ compressors and evaporators for cooling refrigerant and are too large and cumbersome to permit their use in applications where space is at a premium. Conventional ice making systems also use relatively large storage bins as commonly found in hallways or central refreshment areas of hotels, motels and the like. Since only a portion of the accumulated ice is dipped out of such large bins by a succession of users, contamination of the remaining ice may occur through personal contact during removal of the desired portion. Since these large central bins are often unsecured and easily opened, there is also a risk of ice contamination by someone intentionally dumping trash or chemicals in with the accumulated ice.
Problems have also been experienced in the past with the use of thermoelectric assemblies for refrigeration in that cooling rates were low and condensation of moisture around thermocouples and the like caused deterioration of semiconductor materials and short circuiting of electrical terminals. The present invention includes features which overcome these disadvantages of the prior art.